Father of teen missing in Aruba: TV show wasn’t scripted

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The father of an Alabama teenager missing in Aruba since 2005 is denying his ex-wife’s claims that a television show about the case was faked.

Dave Holloway, an insurance agent in Meridian, Mississippi, released a statement Friday saying last year’s six-part show titled “The Disappearance of Natalee Holloway” and aired by Oxygen Media wasn’t scripted.

The show, produced by the Los Angeles-based Brian Graden Media, presented an accurate representation of Holloway’s journey to Aruba to check a possible lead about his daughter’s whereabouts, Holloway said.

“I am proud of the work and depiction of the show, and even though it wasn’t the outcome we had all hoped for, I am glad the world was able to get an inside look of what any father would do if there was even the slightest chance of finding his missing child,” Holloway said.

Holloway’s ex-wife Beth Holloway has filed a $35 million federal lawsuit against Oxygen Media and Brian Graden Media calling the show a fake documentary. She says the show wrongly raised her hopes about finding out what happened during Natalee’s ill-fated senior trip to the island.

Oxygen Media, an arm of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, previously denied the show was a fraud. The production company hasn’t commented publicly on the lawsuit or filed a response in court.

Natalee Holloway, who lived in suburban Birmingham, was 18 when last seen during a high school graduation trip to Aruba with friends. Her disappearance after a night with friends at a nightclub sparked years of news coverage.

No remains were ever found, and the Dutch teen suspected in her death is imprisoned for the slaying of another young woman in Peru in 2010.

The television series included the discovery of what were supposedly remains that could be those of Natalee. The lawsuit claims producers knew that bone fragments featured in the production weren’t linked to the teen before supposed testing produced inconclusive results.

A judge acting at the father’s request declared his daughter legally dead in 2012. Beth Holloway opposed the request.